Etiquette for good dancing in Nashville, is an important part of a great social life.
From Beginners to Advanced I have seen many great ballroom dancers on the floor.
In my opinion what makes a good dancer is not how fancy your moves are but how
well you understand the etiquette of the dance floor. There are some basic, but not
always spoken common practices when it comes to Ballroom Dancing.
The Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Mount Juliet services Lebanon, Mt Juliet,
Hermitage, Old Hickory, Nashville and surrounding towns.
Here are some tips to get you stared dancing in Nashville.
1.) Woman asking Men to dance is OK!!
There is a common misconception among newer Ballroom Dancers, that the
man always has to be the one to initiate the dance. This couldn’t be farther
from the truth! Maybe there was a time when a woman asking a man to
dance would be seen as too forward or inappropriate but that time is long
gone! To be honest, men are just as intimidated to ask you to dance. It helps
take the pressure off and gets you out there to dance more when the ladies are
asking too.
2.) Blocking Traffic
When dancing in Nashville, the dance floor is not the place to learn new material.
Don’t be that guy that needs to stop and spend floor time learning
(or teaching) a step or technique to his poor unsuspecting partner.
First, it’s likely to cause a traffic back up when you stop in the middle of the dance floor.
Second, the lady or gentleman that has agreed to this dance did not sign up for a
lesson with you. If you’re asking them for a tutorial they are probably wishing
they could just enjoy the dance. If you are giving them the lesson, the material is probably
beyond what they’re able to learn yet.
3.) L.O.D.
Stands for Line Of Dance. To keep everyone on the dance floor from piling
into a 15 person collision, some really smart dancer came up with a Line of
Dance. The great part is that it the same wherever you go. Even below the
equator. Everyone dancing counterclockwise keeps things moving
efficiently. That is not to say that you canմ move toward center or the wall
but you need to stay aware of what happening around you. Which brings
me to my next point…..
4.) Floorcraft
Lots of times we learn step patterns that are a few measures long. They work
perfectly on our lesson while were dancing from one side of the room to the
other. When we get into the social dancing scene things become more
difficult. I would like to point out that your Friday night practice parties or
anywhere you go dancing in Nashville are a perfect place to practice for this.
Sometimes you can finish the step you started due to traffic. In this case,
practice breaking longer steps down into smaller parts. Get comfortable starting and stopping
at any point in the step. Also, a twinkle and a chasse will go a long way!
5.) Switching Partners
You don’t have to dance only with your husband or wife.
Lots of married couples go out dancing but so do single people. Dancing in Nashville is
just that, dancing. By dancing with different partners you will improve your
leading and following. You will also meet new people and gain new skills
One of the many benefits of Ballroom Dancing, is learning to break out of your
shell, to get up out of your chair and try new things. So get out there on the
floor and have fun, after all isnմ that what we came to do?
For more information about dancing, click here to join us in the studio.
Check out our Facebook page for more updates!